Daffodils: William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

OK, now this poem falls solidly in the category of 'too flowery for me', but it is daffodil season and they are my favorite spring flowers, so...

People have always tried to somehow merge my name with 'daffodil' to come up with a clever nickname. It never works.

When I was a kid, we used to color the water in the daffodil vase, to see the daffodil blossom streak with blue, or orange. A good science project for a kid; probably not so good for the flowers. But fun to see.

It's definitely spring here in the Bay Area. I haven't bought any daffodils yet, but Trader Joe's usually has them 10 for $1, so I should get some soon.

Another daffodil memory: in my hometown, there are a lot of daffodil farms (or maybe they're just farms that grow daffodils in the spring). Anyway, lots of roadside daffodil stands pop up around this time. All different kinds. It was always fun to stop and pick some out.

Welcome, spring. It's too warm here for snowdrops and crocus (apparently) but not for hyacinth and daffodils and tulips. Time to make a little room in the budget for some cut flowers to brighten up the house and bring spring in.